Fans of sporting events such as those that attend football games, baseball games, and the like, often wish to express their loyalty and goodwill to their respective teams by holding up small signs and the like. However, the handheld signs are generally limited to cardboard or paper signs that have a one time user, and are difficult to hold. Weather conditions, such as rain, often ruin these signs. Other types of handheld signs have included small paddles, and the like, that are restricted to showing one message on a front or the paddle sign, and at most a second message on a rear side of the paddle sign. None of these devices allow for easy and simple modifications to allowing plural signs to be interchanged by the same device.
Various types of signs have been used and proposed over the years for sending messages to third parties. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 453,711 to Molin; 624,396 to Daly; 3,659,365 to Eaton; 4,835,889 to McClymonds; 5,608,979 to Johnson; 5,913,615 to Rellinger; 6,553,704 to Pigg; and European Patent EPO000370393 to Marchon. However, these patented devices are generally limited to signs that must be permanently or fixably mounted or positioned on a flat support surface in order to work. These devices are not intended to and are not generally capable of easily being carried by a user since they would be both cumbersome to use, too large to be held, and too heavy to held by a user. Additionally, most of these sign devices would be to heavy to be held in one hand by a user over long periods of time, such as for several hours during a sporting event. In addition, these devices are generally intended to be used indoors, or would require additional protection such as the need to be sealed and weather conditioned to be used outdoors.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,468 to Mohamed describes a “portable illuminated sign . . . ”, title, with two side handles. However, this device requires both hands or a user to support the sign. Additionally, this sign device requires electrical power supply such as batteries, and the like, and fluorescent tubes to work. Thus, this device would be to expensive to manufacture and produce for most fans to use. Additionally, this device would be too heavy to lift and hold for extended periods of time. Additionally, the two hand requirement would not be practical or easy for the user to hold the signage.
Furthermore, many of these patented sign devices such as the Johnson and Mohamed would be too elaborate and expensive to manufacturer, and would not be suitable to be held by a user.
These patented devices would not be generally practical for use by spectators and fans at outdoor sporting events.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.